Broomsticks and Alibis

Chapter 5

(Sorry I left everyone on a cliffhanger with that last chapter but it was necessary for the plot. You will see why. I’ll never leave people hanging for long, especially if I had to stop on a cliffhanger, so have no fear! It was just really late last night and I had to sleep. For the sake of this story pretend that Mad Eye Moody did not die in book 7)

He could see her flipping through a stack of photos below him as he passed the quaffle to Ginny Weasley. He could tell she was angry by the way her arms flailed about while she talked. Harry also seemed disturbed. He flew lower to try to hear what was going on but Hermione waved him back with a sense of urgency on her face. What could they possibly be arguing about? Him, no doubt.

Smack

A bludger hit his broom and Draco began to spin around, suspended in the air.

“Pay attention Malfoy. I take no prisoners and leave only dead in my path!” George said laughing as he flew by Draco on his broom with the quaffle in hand.

“Harry he was with me last night. It was our wedding night and we were in bed together if you must know!”

“Was he with you all night then?”

Hermione thought about it. Malfoy had left their bed last night to go steal Christmas for her like the Grinch that he is. She would not tell Harry that though. Why give him any more ammunition then he already had? The pictures were damning but still only circumstantial proof and Hermione knew Harry’s case was flimsy at best.”

“I’m sorry “Mione but the Aurors are on their way here now.”

“Harry?” Hermione considered everything. Her mind was moving quickly now in order to save her husband from going to Azkaban. There was no way Malfoy left Hermione’s bed, went to the Three Broomsticks and killed the young Ravenclaw student. “Harry are you doubling as Dean of DPU and Auror these days then?”

“What? You know I work at the University.”

“Right. So by what authority are you arresting my husband?”

“Hermione, I know this is unsettling but if you will look at the pictures again you will see why it is I have to bring Malfoy in for questioning.”

“I don’t see anything. Where are your papers? I assume you have an order from the Ministry to take Draco in? Let’s see it then.”

“What are you playing at Hermione?”

“The law Harry. I am playing at THE LAW, which is my job! If you do not have an order then I suppose we will be seeing you.”

“Hermione. You know I don’t have an order yet.”

“You better get one then Harry.” Hermione’s eyes narrowed at Harry. She was dead serious. She would use all of her power as lead prosecutor to get her husband off from these absurd charges.

“You’re making a mistake Hermione. You could be charged with obstructing justice.”

“Do not assume to tell me the law. You are the one making mistakes here Harry and I intend to call you on them. I’ll not let you pin a murder wrap on my husband.”

Hermione called out to Draco and he spared no time flying to her side.

“Draco you have to fly like the wind. No time to explain, please hurry.” Hermione got on Draco’s broom behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Go quickly!”

He flew fast, leaving the Burrow behind them as he sped through the gray winter sky. It looked like it would snow soon as the temperature had dropped significantly. He turned to ask Hermione what had happened with Potter. For Hermione to be on the back of a broom speeding through the sky with Draco on a cold and blustery day like today, he knew something was awry and he was filled with a sense of dread.

“Do you mind telling me where we are going?”

“We are going to the press Draco. Get to the Daily Prophet as quickly as you can.”

“What’s going on Granger?”

They landed outside the headquarters of the Daily Prophet. Hermione straightened her clothes and performed a spell on her wild, flyaway hair. She was straightening Draco’s tie and smoothing his hair down and then she grabbed his hand and guided them inside the offices of the Daily Prophet.

“Are you going to tell me what’s happened?” Draco said in his husky voice.

“Let’s get this interview over right now. There is really no time to explain Draco. I would never let them take you away, never! If Harry wants a war then I’ll give him one!” Now Draco was really nervous. Something had definitely gone down back at the Weasels shack of a home.

Suddenly they found themselves in front of a multitude of people. Cameras flashed and people pushed and shoved to get to the front of the pack. Questions like ‘How long have you been married? What’s it like to be married to a Gryffindor? To a Slytherin? Is your wife carrying your love child?” were being hurled at Draco and Hermione. Draco knew that Hermione would never choose to do something like this. It was about as comfortable an experience as the time Draco was turned into a ferret. They were twenty minutes through their press conference announcing their marriage to the ravenous Prophet reporters, with Rita Skeeter at the front of the pack, when Draco saw an Auror pop into sight next to him. Another Auror was on the other side of him, one that he recognized as Mad Eye Moody. He was glaring at Draco with an intense expression.

“Hermione? Why are aurors popping in?”

“Draco I can get you out of this I promise. Don’t say anything to them without me in the room. I will be your counsel. I love you Draco.”

“I love you too Hermione but you are fucking scaring me now. What do they think I did?”

“Not here dragon love,” Hermione said in his ear as she leaned up and kissed him full on the mouth. They found themselves in a sea of flashes with that. Cameras were going off like mad. Hermione tried to pull Malfoy through the crowd in hopes of getting away but it was too late and Mad Eye Moody seized the hot, young Slytherin Prince.

Inside Auror Headquarters 30 minutes later…

“The press is demanding to know why we have taken the Slytherin Hottie as they keep referring to him as. What are we supposed to do?” Harry Potter said to a grumbling Mad Eye Moody, as he looked at the sea of reporters outside the Auror’s Office.

“Stall them! I need time alone with Malfoy. I’ll squeeze a confession out of him if I ‘ave to.”

“Mad Eye I know you think he did it but Hermione is in there with her client and she is out for blood. She isn’t going to let you use any coercive means against him.”

“Rules and technicalities. I’m not afraid of that snobby pureblood. Just like his father, that one is, and I intend to teach him a lesson.”

Inside the holding cell…

“There is a serial killer at Dumbledore Potter University. Two girls have been killed Draco.” Hermione threw the pictures down on the table in front of her husband. Draco picked them up and began to fumble through the crime scene pictures. He recognized this girl. She was a Slytherin coed whose name escaped him. She and Avery had dated in their fourth year at Hogwarts, back in the day. She was laying face down on the floor stone cold dead. Her arms were above her head and bound with rope. Draco suddenly felt sick to his stomach. Now he understood. They thought he did this!

“I gotta get the fuck out of here Hermione! They think I did this don’t they?”

“Yes.” Hermione said looking down, a single tear falling from the corner of her eye.“I didn’t do this! Tell me you know I didn’t do this? You don’t think I did this DO YOU?”

“Of course not. The latest killing was last night and aside from you leaving to steal Christmas for me you were with me the entire night. As far as our story goes though, you never left at all. Do you understand?”

“You would do that for me? Be my alibi?”

“You’re my husband. You would do the same for me, right?”

“And here I thought you and I were going to spend a hot night between the sheets consummating our marriage,” Draco smiled and Hermione felt her knees go weak. She had thought the same thing. They would go back to their love nest above the tavern and spend hours kissing and hugging and making love.

“We will have that hot night. I will have you out of here by tonight. They have no proof. Draco, do you see anything in these pictures that we could use to get you off?”

“You mean aside from the ropes?” Hermione glared at him. This was clearly no time for jokes. He gazed back down in the picture. Her hands were bound alright, as if she had been playing The Game but then he noticed something strange. Her hands weren’t tied properly.

“Hermione? You remember the knot I tied around your hands and ankles don’t you?” Draco said now sounding embarrassed.

“Yes of course.”

“Well, whoever killed this poor girl didn’t tie the knots correctly. There is a way we tie them in order to not break the skin. We didn't want to alert teachers or anyone else about The Game so I taught all the guys how to tie this certain knot that left no marks and didn’t hurt the coeds who were playing The Game. This person though, whoever did this…”He motioned to the sad image of the dead girl on the floor…” had no idea what they were doing.”

“This is good! I can use this, though it would be better that you not admit to tying girls up at all.”

“I don’t anymore. I told you that. The only girl I want to tie up ever again is you Sweet Pea,”Draco raised his eyebrows up and down at that with a sexy smile.

“Awww. No time for jokes Malfoy. If they hear you it could be really bad.” Hermione kissed her husband on the cheek and then began to scrawl a note on a piece of parchment. “I’ll be right back love. I need to send this note to the Minister.”

BANG

The door slammed closed and there stood Mad Eye Moody. Draco looked up, his hands shackled together in cuffs, to see Mad Eye, fingers on chin as if deciding what to do.”

Draco flinched when he slammed his hands down on the table in front of him.

“Speak boy! Tell me you killed those poor harmless defenseless girls with your sick game.”

Draco did as Hermione had instructed him and said nothing. Mad Eye grabbed the back of Draco’s head and slammed it forward into the table. He felt a warm trickle of blood escape his nose. Did he seriously think that this would work? Draco had been branded by Voldemort as a Death Eater. There was nothing the auror could do to scare him because he had been through far worse already. Draco was almost enjoying the frustration he heard in Mad Eye’s voice. He knew that soon Hermione would be back and that the Minister would release him. After all, the Minister’s poster boy couldn’t be locked in jail. How would that look? Appearances were everything. The Minister had said so himself. He and Hermione would be the new socialite’s of the Wizarding community. Then he realized what a brilliant plan Hermione had cooked up. That’s why she rushed to the Prophet so quickly. He suddenly felt proud to be married to such a smart and cunning witch. Perhaps there was something to be said for Slytherin Gryffindor unions. Maybe they would start a trend to be followed.

Harry Potter closed the door to Draco’s holding cell. He was waving a piece of parchment in his hand and speaking in hushed voices to the Auror Moody. That’s when Draco felt a cold chill at the back of neck. It engulfed him and he suddenly felt wicked talons on his arm. The room grew dark and then Draco screamed out as a dementor swooped on him. Its arms were around him now and he was floating down the hall past the horrified faces of Ministry employees and then into the open air. He couldn’t breathe and his face grew pale. When he awoke he was in a dank cold cell. He clutched his legs to his chest as icy cold water dripped on him from above. His shirt was bloody and frost had formed on his sleeves. He could barely see a meter in front of him so he reached out into the darkness, sensing something was there. A dark figure grabbed his face and pulled it close. He felt a suffocating force drawing his breath away from him before he crumpled to the hard stony floor.

(He is going to be okay so don’t be scared. I tried to do that fast because it bothered me too)

Back at the Ministry…

“YOU DID WHAT! I COULD HEX YOU HARRY POTTER FOR SENDING MY HUSBAND TO AZKABAN!” Hermione said wildly as she brandished her wand at Harry Potter.

“Just calm down Hermione. He won’t be there forever. It’s a ploy we use from time to time to get a reluctant suspect to speak.”

“It’s a ploy that is hardly fair! Can I see your order to send him to Azkaban? Because if you don’t have one I intend to press charges against you Harry. Perhaps you and Draco can be bunk mates…Of course the Minister of Magic himself is on his way here now. He will be quite angry with you Harry, once he learns that you sent the page one story of the Daily prophet to Azkaban. I fear your popularity will take a nosedive once everyone learns of this.” Hermione said in a snobby tone.

“Hermione you know how an investigation works. We can’t tell the Daily Prophet specifics about a case,” Harry said.

“No? I ‘spose not. But I can defend my client in the press. Excuse me I believe I have another press conference to hold.” Hermione began walking towards the door where the mob of reporters and photographers stood.

“Stop Hermione. I will get him out!” Hermione stormed back to Harry. Her eyes were wide and her hair was bushy and wild and her face looked more intense then he had ever seen it.

“Now!” Hermione screamed and Harry immediately began drafting Draco’s release papers as Hermione stood over him, watching everything he did.

“Do you really think he didn’t do it?”

“Of course he didn’t. Draco himself noticed a few things wrong with the crime scene. He may have been an enormous asset to solving this case but you IDIOT locked him away in Azkaban instead of asking for his help. You really blew it on this one Harry. Maybe all that time spent sitting on your arse in the Dean’s office at DPU has made you rusty. Is that how the Auror’s office is conducting business now? Ask questions later? Get the conviction first? Because if it is then I don’t think I want to prosecute your cases anymore. Perhaps I should be defending the sorry sods that you convict on circumstantial evidence.”

“I’ll get him out Hermione. Mad Eye is above me. It wasn’t my idea. He made me get the Azkaban orders. You think I liked sending Malfoy to Azkaban?”

“Based on your history…YES!”

Review!?

Okay next chapter gets very steamy. Lots of sex in next chapter which I am writing now . Pease REVIEW!! And thanks as always 